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Simon Cowell calls for X Factor in America
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Cowell stands to make a mint on his latest deal with Fox
If you can't get enough of Simon Cowell's snarky sass on American Idol, you may just be in luck. The British entertainment mogul has been open and rather demanding about his desire to bring his show "The X Factor" to America.
"The X Factor" replaced Britain's "Pop Idol" six years ago, and it is interesting that Cowell would want to bring the show to America when American Idol is still the top rated show on television in this country. "The X Factor" is rather like Idol 2.0, a similar show that seems to be more of a revamped variation on a theme than something new entirely. The main difference between the shows is that contestants on "X Factor" are put into the following groups: girls 16-24, boys 16-24, contestants over 25, and groups, and each group is mentored by one of the show's four judges. There is one ultimate winner of the competition who receives a recording contract. The most successful winner in the history of the show was Season 3's Leona Lewis.
Possible judges' names are being tossed into the air, as well. Among them are Simon Cowell himself (because could we really see Mr. Hot Shot letting someone else play the nasty card on his show?), British pop star Cheryl Cole (a current X Factor judge), manager Louis Walsh (another of the X Factor judges), and the former American Idol judge around whom so much controversy has been circling, Paula Abdul.
Simon Cowell is currently in his last contracted season of Idol, and bringing X Factor to Fox may be the key to securing Cowell's signature for another three seasons of the megahit.
Having American Idol and X Factor both on the same channel may be typical United States overkill - read "here's a show that's doing well, so let's bring in another one that's very similar and take up more spots for scripted television in favor of high grossing reality/competition TV." Will the two shows be able to last while screening simultaneously, or will viewers only be able to dedicate themselves to one program? (This answer greatly depends on whether or not Idol and X Factor will be on at the same time of year. A good idea would be to show X Factor over the summer while Idol is on its break, thus satisfying the Idol itch that fans feel from June - January when one of their favorite shows is absent from the air waves.) Will Paula Abdul fans dedicate themselves to X Factor and tune out of Idol if the dancer really does take on another judge's role? Was this a ploy between Simon and Paula all along to break free of the monotonous "That was just okay for me, for you, dawg" comments of Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi's constant search for "artistry?"
Though nothing is finalized, rumors are also popping up about Cowell's salary. It has been heard that he is being offered up to $50 million per season of Idol, as well as $50 million per season of X Factor if the show is successful. That alone is an astronomical amount of money, and it's not counting what Cowell gets paid for the British version of X Factor, the Got Talent franchise (as in America/Britain's Got Talent), and any other talent competitions that he may decide to pitch in the next few years. It's true that he exhausts himself by constantly flying back and forth between Los Angeles and Great Britain (an eight hour time difference is sure to give jet lag), but I'd still take a job that pays as much money as his any day.
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